Human predator??

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I have left a coop door open before thinking that i had closed it. I always double check now.

 

[Aunt Angus]

You can call them just to get it on record that it isn't the first time it's happened, but I don't know that there is anything they can do.

Gosh - that is creepy! I just bought tumbler locks where you have to turn them to a code. I would lose keys. I'm so forgetful....

 

[elliandfritz]

I have left a coop door open before thinking that i had closed it. I always double check now.

I would normally think that as well but both of us checked it last night separately because we have a chick being difficult.

 

[elliandfritz]

You can call them just to get it on record that it isn't the first time it's happened, but I don't know that there is anything they can do.

Gosh - that is creepy! I just bought tumbler locks where you have to turn them to a code. I would lose keys. I'm so forgetful....

Thanks! That may work best. I hate keys!

 

[DuckWhisperer06]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I’m on my way into town to get padlocks and look at game cams.

Do y’all think this is a situation where I need to contact police to file a report?

If it happens again I would call so they have it on record in case it happens in your area again.

 

[Member 482121]

Don't file a report. The police or the sheriff will do nothing at all and will only harass you if you were forced to take action. I would instead place a security camera with a motion sensor that sends a signal to my phone, and if I hear that ping, the only report will be that of my shotgun, fired in the air. I don't know, though, if you can shoot warning shots where you live. We have had petty theft in my neighborhood, but--knocking on wood--nobody has ever tried to steal from my yard, my garage, or my chicken houses. They know around here that I have an itchy trigger finger and that four-legged and feathered predators have short life expectancy around my property. But keep in mind that even where the Castle Doctrine is law you can't shoot at a two-legged predator unless he/she breaks into your home and you truly fear that he/she is threatening your life or your physical well being. Hens and chicks are not worth a human life, even if that of a human varmint. If you file a useless report now, and then you are forced to use deadly force, some ambulance chaser or anti-gun DA will use that report to "prove" that you were not just prepared to use deadly force, but that you were angry at the trespassers and looking forward to their return so you could "punish" them. On the other hand, be prepared, especially if you liive in a rural area where help may take a long time to arrive. When strangers enter your property at night and mess around with your things and animals, you never know what kind of creeps or crazies they may be. Make sure your backyard is well lit, at night, and keep doors and windows locked. And if you do not have a firearm, buy one and learn to use it safely and efficiently--albeit always hoping that you'll never have to use it if not on coons and rattlers.

 

[llombardo]

I have the same coop. Locks where they can be locked.
Watch closely.